Subject: Wasp indoors in winter Geographic location of the bug: Grayslake, Northern Illinois Date: 01/04/2019 Time: 01:16 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: My young cats found this wasp buzzing in the window today. Temps are a bit warmer than normal in the low 40’s, but I thought wasps died off in the winter and never expected to see one in January. Can you help me identify and figure out why (s)he’s in my house? I’m not one to kill things but I don’t want the cats to eat it or get stung either. Thank you for all of your work! How you want your letter signed: Karin

Yellowjacket Queen

Dear Karin, We believe this is a queen Yellowjacket, probably the Eastern Yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons, which is pictured on BugGuide. Each spring, a female queen begins a new nest that grows over the summer and autumn, but the nest dies over the winter and reproductive female Yellowjacket queens hibernate, beginning new nests in the spring. We suspect you encountered a hibernating queen. Since few insects are sighted in northern climes during winter months, we have decided to make this posting our Bug of the Month for January 2019.

Subject: Bug Geographic location of the bug: Oklahoma, USA Date: 11/30/2018 Time: 03:13 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: Found this bug on my head after doing yard work yesterday. What is it, can it hurt me. Thought it was a katydid at first but don’t think it was. How you want your letter signed: Sammie B

Assassin Bug nymph

Dear Sammie, This is an immature Assassin Bug, probably in the genus Zelus. This is a genus that is prone to biting folks when the insects are carelessly handled or accidentally encountered, and you are lucky you did not encounter a painful bite. Though painful, the bite is not considered dangerous. Because of your timing, we have selected your submission as our Bug of the Month for December 2018.

Subject: The great pumpkin Geographic location of the bug: central NJ Date: 10/31/2018 Time: 09:40 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: I don’t have a clue, but it’s about as big as the orb-spinning house spider, and orange for halloween! Descended on silk from a tree. Is that an egg sac, or an abdomen? How you want your letter signed: LH

Pumpkin Spider

Dear LH, We don’t know if you are serious about your subject line, but this does appear to be a Pumpkin Spider, which is how the orange color variation of the Marbled Orbweaver, Araneus marmoreus, is often called. Though the Pumpkin Spider was already our Bug of the Month for December 2013, we feel that enough time has passed to honor it again, so your submission will be featured as our Bug of the Month for November 2018. Like other Orbweavers, though there is a possibility that a large individual might inflict a bite, the Marbled Orbweaver is considered harmless. The large abdomen of this female indicates she might still have to produce an egg sac or two before winter.

Pumpkin Spider

Thanks so much! I’m interested in what type of webs it spins- the usual big bullseye? This one was inside for a few days!

Is it possibly a seasonal color variation?

LH

Hi again LH, Yes, they build a similar orb web. The color variation is not seasonal, but the spiders mature and become noticeable in the fall. The hatchling spiders that emerge in the spring are very tiny and easy to overlook.

Subject: Sweat Bee? Geographic location of the bug: Silverdale, WA Date: 09/28/2018 Time: 04:28 AM EDT Your letter to the bugman: I’m not sure if this is a sweat bee (possibly Agapostemon splendens) or some type of Flower loving or Syrphid fly. It was roughly 1/3 inch in length, give or take a few millimeters. I’m leaning more towards A. splendens, but to be honest, arachnids and mantises are more my forte. How you want your letter signed: Bug aficionado

Striped Sweat Bee

Dear Bug aficionado, This is definitely a Metallic Sweat Bee in the family Halictidae, and we believe you have the genus Agapostemon correct as well, however, the species Agapostemon splendens is not found in the Pacific Northwest based on BugGuide data. Members of the genus Agapostemon are known as the Striped Sweat Bees because, according to BugGuide: “Males are easier to ID because they have strongly black-and-yellow striped abdomen.” According to Insect Identification for the Casual Observer: “There are over a dozen species of Agapostemon Sweat Bees. Males are easier to identity than females because of their distinct coloring. The head and thorax of males are a metallic green, but its abdomen is comprised of the black and yellow bands typically seen in the bee family. Females of many species are mostly green all over. Some species are very social and share nests, while others are more solitary in nature. Nests are burrows dug into dirt or banks. Pollen grains are collected and placed in each egg’s cell to provide food for the expected larva. For this reason, most sightings of adults occur around in or in gardens and meadows laden with blooms. Spring and summer are peak times of year for activity. Adults drink flower nectar and eat pollen, and are not aggressive. They will sting in self-defense, however, if they are hit or almost crushed. Agapostemon Sweat Bees sometimes get close to, or touch parts of, the body that are perspiring. They seem to enjoy drinking the salty liquid off of our skin. Some are so small and lightweight, they are able to do so without the person even realizing it!” We are making your submission our Bug of the Month for October 2018.

Dear Cyndiluwho, This is a Striped Blister Beetle, Epicauta vittata, and according to BugGuide: “Feeds on variety of plants, especially Solanaceae (e.g., potatoes, tomatoes), also soybeans, other crops. Pigweed, Amaranthus species, not a crop plant, is also fed upon extensively.” This is an outdoor species that occasionally enters homes accidentally, so we don’t know why you are finding so many indoors. According to Featured Creatures: “The adults are most active during the morning and late afternoon, seeking shelter from the sun at mid-day. In particularly hot, arid climates they remain inactive during the day, confining their activity to the evening hours.” That site also notes: “Striped blister beetle is one of the most damaging of the blister beetles to vegetable crops in areas where it occurs. This is due to its feeding preferences, which include several common crops and greater preference for foliage than some other species; its propensity to feed on fruits of solanaceous plants; its relatively large size and voracious appetite; its strong tendency to aggregate into large mating and feeding swarms; and its high degree of dispersiveness, which can result in sudden appearance of large swarms of beetles. … The damage caused by Epicauta spp. blister beetles is offset, at least during periods of relatively low beetle density, by the predatory behavior of blister beetle larvae. Epicauta spp. larvae feed on the eggs of grasshoppers, including many crop-damaging Melanoplus spp. During periods of grasshopper abundance the number of blister beetles tends to increase substantially.” Blister Beetles should be handled with caution since some species are capable of secreting a compound, cantharidin, that is known to cause blistering in sensitive individuals. We have selected your submission as our Bug of the Month for September 2018.

Subject: Red spotted purple butterflies Geographic location of the bug: Shohola Lake, PA Date: 07/30/2018 Time: 03:48 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: These butterflies were alighting on one spot of gravel road by Shohola Lake. It looks to be coyote scat (hair & bone fragments, pawprints seen in mud nearby). They allowed me to approach slowly and I was lucky to get these shots. They are truly gorgeous. How you want your letter signed: Paula K

Red Spotted Purple

Dear Paula, Thanks so much for sending in your wonderful images of Red Spotted Purples “puddling” on coyote scat. We have decided to make your submission our Bug of the Month for August 2018. Though butterflies are generally thought of as pollinators that visit flowers, they will often visit more unsavory substances, including puddles of urine, scat, putrefying flesh, rotting fruit and mud puddles to ingest salts and minerals found there.

Red Spotted Purples

Dear Daniel, I’m honored to have my photos chosen as Bug of the Month! And now I know about “puddling.” Some years back I send you photos of mating buck moths from Shohola Lake, PA. It seems a great place to find interesting insects. And as I wrote back then, your site is a natural treasure!

Thanks for your kind words Paula. We located your image of mating Buck Moths in our archives. It is hard to believe that was 11 years ago and we are still going strong.